Denthir
"The ashes of an Empire, blessed by the sun, shall reignite and thrive, and be loved by everyone. What was lost, my children, Denthir will retake. And the corpses of our foes in our sun will bake." - ''Bolon the Prophet at his execution. ''"The Denthirans are convinced they're owed our lands. They're convinced they'd be liberating us. I sometimes wonder if they forgot that we fought a war to be rid of them?" - ''Bornean Stadtholder Dirch of Cinia, at the 20th Nivan Summit. '''Description' Denthir, which styles itself the Denthiran Empire, is a heavily aristocratic and diminished nation-state situated in the middle of the Tatrian Continent. Their government, an elective monarchy with an aristocratic parliament, is seated in the so-called "Imperial Capital". Its culture is dominated by classism, where peasants and merchants "rent" the lands on which they live from aristocrats who demand taxes and shares from their subjects. However, the current 'Empress', one Denain La'nathis, has heavily reduced aristocratic privilege in order to induce a sense of nationalism and revanchism in her people, reminding them of what was lost in the Great Schism that saw the lands of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth lost. However, regaining these lands may not be all that necessary - Denthir Proper is full of fertile farmlands, plenty of useable mines along the mountains in the south, and rich sources of cotton, silk and sugar. Were it not for the corrupt and inefficient aristocratic court, Denthir would likely prosper on its own. Races The aristocracy of Denthir primarily consists of High-Elves, but also a few Humans and Dwarves. The general population is even more diverse than that of Varnia, as the old Denthiran Empire was home to all manners of races. Refugees of all kinds fled to the Denthiran heartland to continue the only life they'd ever known, leaving Denthir the most diverse nation state in all Kranos. Culture Denthiran people, not to be confused with their feudal lords, are often seen as burglars and thieves by foreigners. This stems from the tragic reality that most Denthirans had to resort to illegitimate measures to acquire essentials for their families due to the previously crushing exploitation they were subjected to by the nobility. They are, however, also known to have a knack for catching those who might steal from them. History Denthir's history is long and complicated, and is best summarised as absolutely feudal. Knights and nobles feuded for centuries until, at an unspecified point, a significant amount of them united under the legendary King Denthir - the nation's namesake - who was said to have conquered the rest of the continent in less than ten years. His death left no heirs, however, which left all of the supporting noble houses in disagreement over who might succeed him. Thus, the elective monarchy was implemented. This would ensure that there was always some sort of political status quo and that only the most influential could rule. In the beginning, this worked well. But after two centuries, the peoples of Bornea, Prithus and Synghgarth were fed up with aristocratic exploitation of their lands. They formed what is still known as the "Trinity", a defensive alliance, and declared independence from Denthir. This started a war that would later be known as "The Great Schism of Denthir". Bornea had soon pushed its border down to the river Dir, Prithus established an unbreakable frontline by the northern mountains and the rivers outside Castle Valir, and Synghgarth, with Varnian aid, almost pushed their border past Fort D'elain and Ath'quann Castle, both of which are very close to the Imperial Capital. Denthir eventually signed a peace treaty recognising the sovereignty of all three nations, thus giving up more than two thirds of their territory in less than a day. Aristocrats from the now independent lands were sent packing to make due with settling already claimed lands in Denthir Proper as exiles and were refused the privilege of seats in the aristocratic government, which became increasing inefficient and unsupportive of whatever ruler was voted in. It has long seemed like Denthir will not last, and some muse that it may be more beneficial for its population to be divided up between the three new independent states of Tatria - after all, they prosper while Denthirans seem to suffer.